Fender for street-cars.



N0. 020,005. PATENTED MAY 8, 1000.

A. L. MAZZANOVIOH.

FENDER FOR STREET CARS. APPLICATION FILED MAYS, 19402. RENEWED 11007.17, 1905.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 11 WITNESSES."

ATTORNEYS No. 820,005. PATBNTED MAY 8, 1906. A. L. MAZZANOVIGH.

FENDER FOR STREET CARS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 5, 1902. RENEWED NOV.17, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR MW W I A TTO/M/EYJ I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 8, 1906.

Application filed May 5, 1902. Renewed November 17,1905. Serial No. 287,847.

the assured contact With and picking up I of the person in the path of the fender with a minimum degree-of force, and the automatic vertical folding of said fender to safely and comfortably retain the person so picked With the above and other objects in view the invention com rises a fender-frame pivotally supported at t e end of the car and held in a forwardly-inclined position by suitable devices and means for vertically swinging said frame u on the release of said devices.

The mvention also contemplates simple and convenient provision operable from the carlatform for restoring and locking the fen er to its forwardly-inclined position.

There are other novel features and details connected with the improved fender, which are also more fully set forth hereinafter.

In the accom anying drawings, forming part of this speci cation, Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of a car-platform and fender, illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of said platform and fender.

The platform A has the dash B and juxtaposed side posts 0. Secured on the under side of the platform, near each side thereof, are a pair of downwardly and forwardly extending hangers D, having horizontally-extending recesses d at their free ends within which pivotally bears the inner transverse bar E of the fender-frame, said bar being retained in its bearings by bolts 01 in the forward end portions of the brackets.

The fender-frame with the purpose of securing lightness as well as strength is of metal tubing and comprises besides the inner bar E side bars E, forward transverse bar E and mediate transverse bar E the latter being considerably nearer to the bar E than to bar E This latter bar is somewhat longer than the bar E, so that its end ortions e extend i for a short distance beyon the side bars E.

' the under side of the platform, is a vertical lever G, the upper portion 9 of which extends up through a slot a in the platform and is iounded at its extremity to conveniently adapt it for instant operation by the foot of the attendant. The lower part 9 of this lever G depends with a slight curve in a forward direction and has a series of rack-teeth g at its front. A bent leaf-spring G secured on the under side of the platform, has its free end bearing against the back of the part 9 to tend to hold the lever Gin the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1.

The inner frame-bar E is rigidly provided with arms H H, which extend rearwardly approximately on a line with the plane of the frame and lie adjacent to the inner sides of the brackets D. On these arms H are weights H, operating to swing the same downwardly and vertically elevate the fender-frame on the pivot presented by the bar E. These weights will preferably be adjustable on their arms to permit the regulation of their overbalancing effect. Contractile springs I I, secured to the side posts 0 and side bars E of the fender-frame, coact to swing and hold the latter in its elevated position.

A netting J or other like flexible material is attached to the front and side bars of the fender-frame, extends upward with a moderate sag, and is connected at its top to a transverse horizontal bar J, detachably suspended by short chain lengths j and hooks 1' from eyes I), carried by the dash-frame B.

Small sleevesK K are loosely mounted on the projecting portions 6 of the front framebar E and integrally carry short forwardextending arms K, the extremities k of which are of reduced thickness and have transverse horizontal eyes to permit a strong rope or cable k to span the space between the arms K and be secured thereto by being knotted at the outer sides of the same. Mounted upon the rope or cable are a series of tubular sections K of rubber, slightly separated from each other by spacing-washers k Oblique braces K? integrally extend from the inner sides of the arms K toward the frame-bar E and each carries a small sleeve k loosely on the bar E and having an annular series of ratchet-teeth to constitute one member of a clutch, theother member of which is presented by an intermeshing toothed sleeve k rigidly secured on the bar E A short expanding spring k embracing said bar, is interposed between each clutch member K and forward end of the contiguous side bar E to normally hold the teeth of said member engaged into those of its companion M.

The clutches will be so normally engaged as to ordinarily hold the arms k and foreguard in inclined alinement with the fenderframe, so that said guard will be supported and move close above the track.

Assuming the parts to be in the position illustrated by the full lines in Fig. 1, with the pawl end of the arm F engaged with the ratchet of the lever G, when the fore-guard presented by the rope and tubular sections k strikes a person the weight imposed on said guard will tend to depress the guard and arms, which will occasion a partial turning of the clutch members 70". This movement by reason of the relative cam action exerted by the clutch-teeth will cause a limited separa tion and outward movement of the members k resulting in the rope being drawn more taut, and thereby tend to avoid any undesirable sagging or yielding of the guard that might otherwise be caused by the force of the contact and imposed weight. As nearly coincident with this contact and the resulting picking up of the person struck by the netcovered fender the attendant forwardly moves by his foot the upper portion of the lever G, causing the lower ratchet part thereof to move rearwardly, thus releasing the pawl end of the arm F and permitting the weight and spring devices .to pivotally elevate the fender to properly hold the person caught thereby or to be safely deposited to one side of the track;

It will be observed that the arrangement of the ratchet-teeth of the clutches is such that whilepermitting the depression of the arm k and fore-guard, as explained, any upward or lifting movement .of said arms and guard will cause the teeth to be firmly engaged and hold the movable members against turning on the bar E The connection of the arm F with the mediate frame-bar E and its bearing contact cured to an eye Z on the end of one of the weighted arms H, enables the attendant to raise the weighted arms and lower the fender to the forward-inclined position shown, said fender being automatically held in any desired inclined position by the engagement of the pawl end of the arm F with the rack portion 9.

By locating the mediate transverse bar E of the fender-frame considerably nearer the rear bar E than to the front bar E thereof the leverage strain imposed on the arm F by the weight of the fender is materially reduced.

From the foregoing description it will be appreciated that the improved fender is highly efficient, simple in construction, and can be applied to street-cars with but comparatively little expense and labor.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown and described, as the same may be modified and changed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination in a car-fender, of a frame pivotally supported at its rear, means for upwardly swinging said frame, a pawl car 9 5 ried by the latter,and a spring-pressed ratchetlever operable from the car-platform and adapted to engage the pawl and hold the fender in a lowered position.

2. The combination in a car-fender, of a frame comprising a pivotally-supported rear bar and adjacent mediate bar E a pawl-arm secured to said bar E and extending rearwardly above and in bearing contact with the rear bar, means for upwardly swinging said frame, and a spring-pressed ratchet-lever operable from the platform and adapted to engage the pawl-arm and hold the fender in a lowered position. I

3. The combination in a car-fender, of a frame, comprising a rear pivotal bar, weighted arms and springs for upwardly swinging said frame, a rope or cable connected to one of said arms and extending to the platform for lowerin said frame, and provision for automaticalfy latching the latter in a lowered position.

4. The combination with a fender, of arms pivotally supported at the front and carrying a transverse flexible fore-guard, and means for spreading said arms to tighten the same upon the depression of the arms but resist upward movement ofthe same.

5. The combination with a fender, of arms supported by revoluble and laterally-movable cam-clutch members normally springengaged with fixed members, said arms carrying a transverse flexible fore-guard, the arrangement being such that with the depression of the guard and arms, the movable ICC members will be turned to cause their cams to spread the arms and tighten the guard.

6. In a car-fender the combination with a supporting-frame, comprising the bar E projecting beyond the side rails of said frame, of the sleeves K, revolubly mounted on said projections, the arms K integral with said sleeves, the braces K holding said arms inposition, the cable It, stretched between said arms K, and secured thereto, the tubular sections K mounted on said cable, and the washers 762 on said cable between said tubular sections.

7. In a car-fender, the combination with a supporting-frame, comprising the bar E projecting beyond the side rails of said frame, of the sleeves K revolubly mounted on said proj ections, the arms K, integral with said sleeves, the braces K holding said arms in position, the sleeves k integral with said braces having serrated edges and revolubly mounted on the said bar E the clutch-sectionsvlc also having serrated edges, mounted on said bar E and engaging the sleeves It the springs 76 on said bar E between the said sleeves k and the side rails of said frame, the cable It, stretched between the arms K and secured thereto, the tubular sections K, on said collar, and the washers k on said cable between said tubular sections.

8. The combination with a fender, of arms supported by revoluble and laterally-movable cam-clutch members normally spring engaged with fixed members, said arms carrying a transverse flexible fore-guard, embodying a transverse rope or cable, and a series of tubular rubber sections thereon with interposed spacing-disks, the arrangement being such that with the depression of the guard and arms, the movable members will be turned to cause their cams to spread the arms and tighten the guard.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 27th day of November, 1901.

ANTON L. MAZZANOVICH.

Witnesses:

JOHN NOLAND, KARL H. BUTLER. 

